


Crash

by FandomsMJ



Series: Bakoda Fleet Week 2020 [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aang and Toph are there but they don't do much, Angst, M/M, Modern AU, canon character death referenced, car crash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:40:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25556743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FandomsMJ/pseuds/FandomsMJ
Summary: The phone call came in the middle of the night. Sokka didn't know what it was about, but he didn't like how his sister wouldn't stop shaking. "Dad's hurt," was all she managed to say before she was darting out the door to the car.
Relationships: Bato/Hakoda (Avatar)
Series: Bakoda Fleet Week 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1861639
Comments: 10
Kudos: 107
Collections: Bakoda Fleet Week 2020





	Crash

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing an Atla fic as well as my first time writing Bakoda so please bear with me. 
> 
> This was written for Bakoda Fleet Week prompts Modern AU and with kids.

The ringing phone shattered the silence of the night. Sokka cursed as his bare feet managed to find every piece of furniture in his path as he stumbled out of his room. Who the hell would be calling this late at night? The hall light was on, Aang wordlessly handed the phone to Katara as she was closer. 

Sokka felt something cold settle between his shoulders as Katara began shaking. "O-okay, we'll be there as soon as we can..." her voice trembled, tears welling in her eyes. She set the phone down, shoulders trembling. "Dad's hurt," was all she manged to say before she started towards the door. 

Sokka followed, jamming his feet into his sneakers as he grabbed his keys. Aang wasn't far behind, Toph being dragged along as she demanded to know what was going on. "Where?" Sokka demanded as they got in the car. 

"Omashu General Hospital," Katara replied. 

Not as far as he thought it'd be. But still it'd be over an hour before they reached it, and by then it might be... No. No. He was going to be fine. 

* * *

Bato was sitting in the waiting room. He'd had a few cuts and bruises, but he was in far better shape than Hakoda. Still, he was rather calm as he leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest. Hakoda had been conscious, had been talking. He was hurt but he'd be okay. 

_He would be okay._

He watched as a group of four disheveled young adults entered, heading straight for the counter. They looked like they'd been woken in the middle of the night, which was exactly what had happened. "Sokka, Katara," he called out to them. The oldest two turned towards him. 

It had been a few years since he'd last seen them, but Sokka looked much like a young Hakoda and Katara looked so similar to Kya it almost hurt. The other two with them, a bald young man with grey eyes and a girl with wide glassy green eyes that seemed to stare straight through him, weren't strangers either. He'd only met Aang and Toph twice before, but it wasn't hard to recognize them. 

Bato stood to meet them half way, hugging both of Hakoda's children tightly. They'd been here before, in the waiting room of a hospital waiting to learn their father's fate. Except last time they'd also been waiting to learn their mother's fate. Hakoda had survived the fire, Kya hadn't. 

"Is he...?" Sokka began to ask. 

"The doctors haven't said anything yet," Bato answered. "But last I saw him he was attempting to crack jokes so I believe he'll be alright." 

_"Between your bad arm and my leg, we'll almost be a matching set."_

_"Shut up, Hakoda."_

Sokka nodded refusing to speak of the worry in his eyes. Katara, however, looked as if she was on the verge of tears. All Bato could do was hold them both as they waited.

* * *

Hakoda woke slowly in the hospital room. It was dimly lit but he could see he wasn't alone. Katara was curled up against his uninjured side, Sokka sitting in a chair beside the bed. Both his children were asleep. 

He felt a brief stab of guilt at worrying them. He knew hearing about a wreck on a dark road slick with rain must have been terrible. He was alright though, and so was Bato. 

Wait, where was Bato? 

Hakoda's eyes darted around the room until his gaze landed on the figure sitting on the other side of the bed. Bato was not only there, but he seemed to be awake, judging by how he shifted his weight and glared down at him. "You are a very lucky man," Bato finally murmured. 

"I could've told you that. Between you and the kids a man can't get much luckier than that," Hakoda replied. 

"You know damn well that's not what I meant," Bato muttered. 

"So I kept my leg then?" Hakoda asked. 

Bato nodded. "And your life." 

Hakoda nodded. He reached out with the arm not pinned down by the kids, finding Bato's hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. Bato didn't pull away, but he didn't return the gesture either. 

"You did that on purpose," he muttered. "You spun it so you'd take the brunt of the impact." 

Hakoda sighed, the confessed, "Guilty as charged. And don't ask why, you already know." 

He couldn't save Kya. In that moment however, he saw a way to save Bato. 

Bato sighed, his anger draining away. "Yeah. I know." His grip on Hakoda's hand tightened, "But don't ever scare me like that again." 

Knowing he couldn't promise that, Hakoda settled on saying, "I'll do my best." 

**Author's Note:**

> It's not my best work, but I don't think it's my worst either. I hope you all enjoyed.


End file.
